Are You Glad I'm Here

Noor Gharzeddine

Are You Glad I'm Here

Noor Gharzeddine

Comedy,
Drama

Feature

New York

When Nadine, a vivacious Lebanese housewife, befriends Kirsten, the spunky American girl who moves into her building, dark secrets in her marriage are exposed. One night Nadine is pushed to a breaking point, sending the women on a humorous journey of crime, loyalty and self discovery.

When Nadine, a vivacious Lebanese housewife, befriends Kirsten, the spunky American girl who moves into her building, dark secrets in her marriage are exposed. One night Nadine is pushed to a breaking point, sending the women on a humorous journey of crime, loyalty and self discovery.

57 supporters

75 followers

Green Light

RAISED $19,120

for FESTIVALS

57 supporters, 75 followers

Inclusion Statement

AYGIH is a bilingual film starring two women from different parts of the world, and it explores the nuance and beauty of cultural exchange. The director is a woman, and the crew is largely made up of Middle Eastern women. Most of our editors & EPs are women.

About The Project

Thank you so much for donating to Are You Glad I'm Here!

The amazing thing about making a movie is that every single day is different. I’ve gone from zipping around on the back of a motorcycle in Beirut, location scouting with a 23-year-old PA, to sitting on a couch in midtown Manhattan, working with a sound mixer who began his career in the pre-digital age. Each person's touch gives new life to the film, and it’s a never ending source of inspiration and motivation. But it’s also scary to do something so foreign, to interrupt your “normal” life and take a journey with no clear end date, no guaranteed success, and no textbook set of steps. Are You Glad I'm Here has come a long way, but it is vital that we raise this final amount so that everything we’ve worked on can actually get seen… I could go on about the hardships of indie filmmaking, and all the fees we still need to cover, but instead let me share with you what I think makes this film so special.

In Are You Glad I’m Here, I wanted to explore the nuances of interaction with a hyper realistic lens, lingering on the characters for a moment longer than expected, allowing layers of emotion to play out on the actors’ faces. I tried to avoid the type of shallow, classically dramatic moments that are common in Hollywood movies, and instead chose to enter the characters’ lives in “in-between” moments, dropping narrative tropes that the audience expects. We all know what a fighting couple looks like, so instead of exhausting the audience with repeated spats between Nadine and Pierre, we see Kirsten spy on them, or see the way their son, Rami, remembers these moments.

I also wanted to explore the messiness of relationships, something that is often oversimplified. For example, Nadine and Kirsten’s budding friendship is intertwined with the deteriorating relationship between Nadine and her husband, but the trajectories of both relationships are not linear. Awkwardness, offense, and cultural barriers are interspersed with moments of joy and caring between the women. Similarly, Nadine and Pierre are not a trope of a bad marriage; we see love layered between regret and a desire to communicate.

Another unique aspect of this film is the way we use language and culture as narrative tools. A movie about the beauty of cultural exchange is so important, now more than ever. These friendships, across language barriers, are very common in reality, but are rarely seen on screen. The actress playing Nadine was a non-English educated Lebanese woman, and the actress playing Kirsten was an American visiting Lebanon for the first time, so many miscommunications happened organically, and these amusing moments bridged the cultural divide, both on set and in the world of Are You Glad I’m Here. Additionally, the characters’ choice of language plays a role in the narrative: the dénouement of the abuse scenes occurs partly because Nadine switches into English during an argument with her husband, wanting Kirsten to understand, and thus pushing the dispute from private and familial to public. This scene is shot in one long take, which allows us to play with symbolic blocking. We see Nadine approach her husband and then stop as a wall divides them; they each linger on either side and for a moment we feel as if they are longing to connect. However, when Pierre crosses over to Nadine, she naturally realigns herself with Kirsten, and they both anxiously watch him.

We categorize the film as both a drama and comedy. As in life, sorrow and trauma exist alongside humor, relief and affection. This blend of tones and genres allows each scene to feel unexpected, yet believable.

Although perhaps not a traditional ending, our conclusion forces viewers to examine Nadine’s situation as more than black and white. The effects the characters have on each other’s lives cannot be neatly summed up. We don’t know much about the past of these characters, and nothing of their future; we should be aware that in this film we are merely peering into a space in time and that these stories begin and extend past what we can see.

Incentives

$20

Personalized Insta Shout-Out!

Receive a fun, personalized Instagram shout-out on the areyougladimhere page!

$50

Unique Post Card + Shout out!

Receive a personalized post card featuring a still from ARE YOU GLAD I'M HERE. The film was shot in Lebanon and each post card reveals a different location!

Claimed: 19 of 300

$200

ARE YOU GLAD I'M HERE canvas tote bag + post card + shout out!

We will mail you a custom canvas tote bag!

Claimed: 4 of 30

$300

Special Thanks + tote bag + post card!

Have your name show up in our credits!

Claimed: 0 of 10

$500

Film 101 + special thanks + tote bag + post card!

Want to make a movie but don't know where to start? Need help creating a treatment to share with your team? Want to learn about grants or workshops to help fund your film career? Need help cutting together a reel? Want stratagies on marketing, audiencing building and festivals? Or maybe you're just having trouble getting your ideas into a script...

I've learned so much while making this film and would love to pass along whatever knowledge I can in order to help other indie film makers get started and avoid common mistakes (oh boy am I an expert on this one). This can be available for you or a loved one, and can take the form of a phone call, email exchange, or coffee date.

$1,500 to go

costs $1,500

How much would you like to pledge?

$20

Personalized Insta Shout-Out!

Receive a fun, personalized Instagram shout-out on the areyougladimhere page!

$50

Unique Post Card + Shout out!

Receive a personalized post card featuring a still from ARE YOU GLAD I'M HERE. The film was shot in Lebanon and each post card reveals a different location!

Claimed: 19 of 300

$200

ARE YOU GLAD I'M HERE canvas tote bag + post card + shout out!

We will mail you a custom canvas tote bag!

Claimed: 4 of 30

$300

Special Thanks + tote bag + post card!

Have your name show up in our credits!

Claimed: 0 of 10

$500

Film 101 + special thanks + tote bag + post card!

Want to make a movie but don't know where to start? Need help creating a treatment to share with your team? Want to learn about grants or workshops to help fund your film career? Need help cutting together a reel? Want stratagies on marketing, audiencing building and festivals? Or maybe you're just having trouble getting your ideas into a script...

I've learned so much while making this film and would love to pass along whatever knowledge I can in order to help other indie film makers get started and avoid common mistakes (oh boy am I an expert on this one). This can be available for you or a loved one, and can take the form of a phone call, email exchange, or coffee date.

$2,000

Current Team

About This Team

Noor Fay Gharzeddine - Director. Producer. Editor. Story Developer.

Noor is a Lebanese-American filmmaker born and raised in New York City. Her films explore unlikely relationships in unique environments. She is fascinated by films that blend hyper-realism with absurdity, tragedy with comedy. Noor has a BA in Film and Electronic Arts from Bard College, where she had the privilege of studying under influential filmmakers such as Kelly Reichardt, Ben Coonley and Peter Hutton. She is currently developing a scripted comedy and writing her next film.

Samuel Cyrenius Anderson - Screenwriter. Story Developer.

Sam is a NYC based novelist, screenwriter, martial artist, linguaphile, nature lover/ deep ecology advocate. He hails from Salem, Oregon, and is a graduate of Bard College's Written Arts program. Currently, he is absorbed in the second draft of his debut novel.

Alix Diaconis - Editor

Alix is a Video Director at The Verge in NYC, creating content on culture and technology for an international audience. She has shot and edited several films, including an ESPN documentary Sidd Finch and The Tibetan Fastball (Emmy Nominated, 2015) and In the Blind (Best Drama Short, Big Easy International Film Festival 2014). She has a degree in Film and Electronic Arts from Bard College.

Marwa Khalil - "Nadine"

Award winning actress Marwa Khalil obtained an MA in Theater from Lebanon’s Saint Joseph University, and studied cinematography at the New York Film Academy and at the ESRA in Paris. In addition to performing with Lebanon’s top stage directors she produces and writes her own plays. Marwa Khalil works in Film, TV, and Theatre in French, Lebanese and Moroccan productions.

Tess Harrison - "Kirsten"

Tess is an award winning actress and director currently based in LA. Director of numerous short films including the winner of the Best Narrative Short at the Napa Valley Film Festival 2015, It's Perfect Here which she wrote, directed and starred. Tess' next short Things Break In which she also wrote, directed and stars inis currently on the festival circuit screening at Raindance in London, Bushwick, Knoxville and the Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Fest, with more to come! She has directed several music video's for X Ambassadors, including the video for single Collider, which was featured as part of the ESPN College Footage Campaign in 2016. She is finishing post on another short film, which stars Hannah Whitney and Jeff Ward of Syfy's Channel Zero, and Agents of Shield Season 5.

Ziad Chahoud - Cinematographer

Ziad has worked throughout the Middle East as a cinematographer on features, shorts, commercials, documentaries, corporate films, TV and reality shows. Ziad was the camera operator for the award winning film, Very Big Shot (Toronto International Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Odessa International Film Festival, Marrakech International Film Festival, London Film Festival, Beijing International Film Festival, Ajyal Youth Film Festival) and was the cinematographer for the short film Nocturne In Black, which was the winner of a Student Academy Award.

Elie Deek - Line Producer

Elie has worked as a production manager for over 14 production companies, and has 8 years of experience producing in Lebanon. He’s worked as a producer on at least a dozen projects produced by Ginger Beirut, including Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now, which won a total of 8 awards at festivals worldwide.

Petra Serhal - Casting Director

Petra is an actress and a multidisciplinary artist based in Lebanon. Her work as a casting director comes from her experience in acting, production and performance making, which led her to find her own approach to this field and collaborate with various filmmakers.

Nadim Hobeika - Assistant Director

Nadim is a Beirut based director who's senior thesis, "Feu de Camp" (Bonfire) participated in several film festivals in Rome, Portugal, New York, Dubai and Lebanon. He's worked as an assistant director on various films, notably with acclaimed filmmakers, Eliane Raheb, Ahmad Ghossein, Simon El Habre and Nadim Tabet. Nadim has directed two music videos for the Lebanese band Adonis and is currently in post production on his second short film "Before We Heal".

Lara Khamis - Wardrobe Stylist

Lara is a Beirut based independent Costume Deisgner and Wardrobe Stylist. In 2014 she began styling on independent feature films such as Very Big Shot, Halal Love, Tramontane, Le Voyageur, The Beach House, Listen and most recently Ziad Doueiry's The Insult, which was nominated for a Golden Lion at this years Venice Film Festival.

Katey Spinner - Editor

Katey is an editor at ProMedia. She graduated Wesleyan University with a BA in Film Studies in 2015, and has been happily editing in NYC ever since.

Simon Taufique - Composer

Simon is a composer-in Residence at ProMedia, and Producer/Composer of the films, Imperium, She's Lost Control, Terp, Jesus Henry Christ and the upcoming Purple America.

Adam Yeremian - Executive Producer

Adam is an internationally award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and television editor whose work (Factory Days and News From Nowhere) with Warhol director, Paul Morrissey was received by Cannes and Venice Film Festivals. As a television editor, he cut his teeth on the mean streets of VH1's Love and Hip Hop and Black Ink Crew. He is the director of operations at Pro Media.

Alex Cirillo & Dani Faith Leonard - Executive Producers

Alex and Dani are producers and the Co-founders of Big Vision Empty Wallet, a film & media incubator, and Big Vision Creative, a development and production company.

To: Noor Gharzeddine

Message Sent!

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Basic Info

Before we get started, please confirm the following:

I will not be running a campaign for this project on another platform simultaneouslyI understand that I need to reach at least 80% of my goal to keep the funds raisedI have ( or someone on my team has ) a US bank account and SSN or EIN